However, Nadal's ranking will also drop to #5, and may be seeded this way for RolandGarros2013. As a result, Nadal could face Djokovic in the QF of RolandGarros2013. Will Djokovic's streak come to an end when he faces Nadal at RolandGarros2013 in the potential QF? Will Djokovic fans on Talk Tennis see it as significant as when Soderling beat federer at RolandGarros2010 in the QF?

However, Nadal's ranking will also drop to #5, and may be seeded this way for RolandGarros2013. As a result, Nadal could face Djokovic in the QF of RolandGarros2013. Will Djokovic's streak come to an end when he faces Nadal at RolandGarros2013 in the potential QF? Will Djokovic fans on Talk Tennis see it as significant as when Soderling beat federer at RolandGarros2010 in the QF?

Nadal playing 7 clay court tournaments according to NSK logic will mean that he is a lock of all those titles and because of this he will rise back to #4 before RG, therefore cannot stop Djoker in the quarters, no? :twisted:

i cannot see him listed for Vina del Mar on the atp website atleast. Is he playing ?

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Yes, Nadal is playing Vina del Mar, and it's on the ATP website too-

Rafael Nadal will make his return to the ATP World Tour at the VTR Open, in Viña del Mar, from 4 February. He has not played at an ATP World Tour tournament in South America since 2005.

The announcement came just 48 hours after the Spaniard confirmed his participation at the Brasil Open 2013, in Sao Paulo, from 11 February. And Nadal is also a confirmed starter at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, beginning 25 February.

The former World No. 1 has not played a tour-level event since 28 June 2012, when he lost to Lukas Rosol in the Wimbledon second round.

Nadal has been suffering from tendinitis in his left knee. He was forced to miss the Qatar ExxonMobil Open and Australian Open this month due to a stomach virus.

Chilean veteran Nicolas Massu, who has received a wild card into the VTR Open, where he last played a tour-level event 12 months ago, is delighted to welcome Nadal to Viña del Mar. "It's amazing. It's an honour to have Rafa here, a player with such status. I admire him a lot, because at 26 he's already one of the greatest of all times".

"It's a real honour to receive him in Viña del Mar, the city where I grew up and was raised as a tennis player. It's amazing to have the best clay-court player of all time. It's the best tennis news for Chile in years. It would be a dream to face Nadal in Viña".

I really hope they meet in the FO Q. Sorry, let me rephrase it: I really hope that if unfortunately Nadal makes it to FO Q then it is Djokovic that he will be playing there.

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If Nadal meets Djokovic in the RolandGarros2013QF, Djokovic's confidence will be destroyed again (and Nadal already has the mental edge in the h2h, leading 19-14, one win away from tying the Sampras-Agassi h2h). So yes, I also HOPE that Nadal meets Djokovic in the QF.

And then his knee will get meesed up again, he will miss the rets of this season, and most of next....NSK/6-1 etc.....will live their lives on these forums telling us that Nadal will return "soon" and that his career isn't over...

Same, cycle, different day.

Rafa is finished, get over it, not even all those steroids he takes can fix that knee.

This thread has been created because OP is hurt that Novak is closing in on the number of majors Nadal has.

OP - if you are quoting H2H, please also add Rosol-Nadal and Davydenko-Nadal H2H. Now dont come back and say that they are not over a large sample size or the gap is not significant. If H2H counts, then what matters is "who has the most ".

Would agree with Bad Knee (what greater authority?) that Rafa playing a bunch of clay tournaments is hardly auspicious for a guy with his medical issues. I'd be surprised if he even gets to Roland Garros able to play. Celebrity Apprentice??

If Nadal meets Djokovic in the RolandGarros2013QF, Djokovic's confidence will be destroyed again (and Nadal already has the mental edge in the h2h, leading 19-14, one win away from tying the Sampras-Agassi h2h). So yes, I also HOPE that Nadal meets Djokovic in the QF.

LOL that is hilarious. Nadal leads Djokovic 18-14 and 5-3 at the slams. Soon it will be in Sampras-Agassi territory (Sampras leads Agassi 20-14). Nadal's level slipped in 2011, Djokovic's level improved, and that allowed Djokovic to have his first successful year vs Nadal. So far in 2012, Nadal leads 2-1 and both of Nadal's wins were in straight sets, while Djokovic's win was in 6 hours (on Djokovic's favorite slam surface). A match-up problem? In which direction?

Sorry, I don't see any 'pwnages' (and certainly not 10 of them). You're quoting a post from another user who has made the same point as me. What's wrong with that? It seems to be like you're looking for trouble.

Are you the double-account of nadal_slam_king? It sure seems like it, since your username differs by only 4 characters.

Nadal will NOT be #5 by then when other significant HC Masters are deducted...
He will have to pass others before getting to Djokovic...

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you're assuming he won't play Indian Wells and Miami. He is defending SF points in both tournaments. Assuming he defends all his clay points leading up to RG he will still be #5 but a lot can happen I agree. Berdych could gain points at IW or Miami. But it doesn't really matter if he's #5 or #8 as far as the RG draw is concerned. He could potentially face any of the top 4 seeds in the QF there.

you're assuming he won't play Indian Wells and Miami. He is defending SF points in both tournaments. Assuming he defends all his clay points leading up to RG he will still be #5 but a lot can happen I agree. Berdych could gain points at IW or Miami. But it doesn't really matter if he's #5 or #8 as far as the RG draw is concerned. He could potentially face any of the top 4 seeds in the QF there.

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No, i am not assuming that, i just think he will not defend those points from 2012....

Fascinating that Nadal is taking such a cowardly and effeminate route back -- playing against round after round of nobodies in four inconsequential tournaments normally reserved for failed journeymen and aspiring pipsqueaks.

We'll know by May just how damaged his knees are. On top of that, his 8 month fishing trip comes just as he ages past his prime.

He'd better hope Rosol's not trolling the South American dirt this year.

However, Nadal's ranking will also drop to #5, and may be seeded this way for RolandGarros2013. As a result, Nadal could face Djokovic in the QF of RolandGarros2013. Will Djokovic's streak come to an end when he faces Nadal at RolandGarros2013 in the potential QF? Will Djokovic fans on Talk Tennis see it as significant as when Soderling beat federer at RolandGarros2010 in the QF?

Nadal can get to 6400 ranking points by winning Vina del Mar, Sao Paolo, and Acapulco. Ferrer right now is at 6865, but 500 of those came at Acapulco. Assuming Nadal defeats Ferrer in the final, as should be the case, even if Nadal is not in great form, then Ferrer will drop down to 6565 (and if he doesn't make the final, then obviously he'll lose even more points). Then Nadal's not so far behind, although he does have more to defend during the European clay swing (do-able, especially since he can pick up significant points at Madrid) and the spring hardcourt Masters (certainly possible, but we'll need to see how he's playing). I don't think it would be all that unreasonable to see Nadal as the fourth seed at the French Open.

If Nadal wasn't "mentally destroyed" after losing seven straight times on all surfaces to Djokovic (3 slam finals if I am remembering correctly?) then why on earth would Djokovic be "mentally destroyed" by losing to the clay GOAT three times on clay?

If Nadal wasn't "mentally destroyed" after losing seven straight times on all surfaces to Djokovic (3 slam finals if I am remembering correctly?) then why on earth would Djokovic be "mentally destroyed" by losing to the clay GOAT three times on clay?

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That's true. Djokovic would of long been mentally destroyed by Nadal if we went by that logic being that he's suffered some tough losses to Nadal before turning the tide in 2011.